March 05, 2024
Get an exclusive look at the scene penned by Russell T Davies that landed Ncuti Gatwa the role of the Doctor...
While we've already seen him burst onto screens in The Giggle and begin his own adventures in The Church on Ruby Road, it still seems like only yesterday that Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the Fifteenth Doctor. However, the wheels have been in motion since as far back as 2021 - where returning showrunner Russell T Davies wrote a special standalone scene for the audition process.
You can read the script of the exclusive scene, where the Doctor and 'Robin' attempt to escape a horde of creatures called 'Spikes', below...
The Fifteenth Doctor Audition Piece
by Russell T Davies
1 December 2021
INT. ROOM 1
The room has PLAIN WALLS. No door. A COMPUTER on a plinth.
THE DOCTOR is with ROBIN, a 21 year old modern-day HUMAN. They barely know each other; they’ve just been chased, by monsters, turned round a corner, ran into this room, and whup!, they were sealed in. Now they’re calming down; though the Doctor is always thinking of 500 things at once, mind spinning, ticking, racing. And having fun too, nice & fast!
ROBIN
Those things. Those monsters. Chasing us. What were they?
THE DOCTOR
They were Spikes.
ROBIN
And what are Spikes?
THE DOCTOR
Well, they looked all spiky, didn’t they? You know when you get angry? Or mad? Or you suddenly have an idea? Or maybe you fall in love, like bang! That’s your brain, spiking. And those things were spiky thoughts, brought to life.
ROBIN
Thoughts brought to life?
THE DOCTOR
Yup.
ROBIN
But... They were nasty. Falling in love is a nice thought.
THE DOCTOR
Yeah, they were at the back, kissing, sorry, who are you?
ROBIN
My name’s Robin, who are you?
THE DOCTOR
I’m the Doctor. Nice to meet you, Robin. Really, really nice. Great hair! Don’t know about the shoes, what year is it?
ROBIN
2023.
THE DOCTOR
I really don’t know about the shoes.
ROBIN
How d’you not know what year it is?
THE DOCTOR
Easily. But listen to me.
(suddenly intense)
We’re trapped. And that computer says we’ll run out of air in 100 seconds. But I will get you out of here alive.
ROBIN
We’ve got 100 seconds?!
THE DOCTOR
And I will get you out. You will go home. And see your mum. And your brother. Okay?
ROBIN
How d’you know about them?
THE DOCTOR
They’re in your eyes.
The Doctor staring. And somehow, Robin believes.
ROBIN
...okay.
THE DOCTOR
(brisk again)
THANK you, now stop wasting my TIME! So! Maybe this thing can show us a way out.
The Doctor starts typing away madly on the keyboard.
ROBIN
But. I’ve got a question.
THE DOCTOR
Who put the bop in the bop shoo bop shoo bop?
ROBIN
No.
THE DOCTOR
Who put the ram in the rama langa ding dong?
ROBIN
No.
THE DOCTOR
Why, why, why Delilah?
ROBIN
This is annoying. I just want to know, who locked us in here? That man. With the gun. In charge of the Spikes. Who was he?
THE DOCTOR
Well, yes, that’s a really important question, except...
(can’t help it)
Technically, we’re not locked in.
ROBIN
Yes we are.
THE DOCTOR
No we’re not.
ROBIN
Yes we are! We can’t get out!
THE DOCTOR
Yes, but there’s no door, and no lock. We can’t be locked in without a lock. Can we?
ROBIN
But... same difference!
THE DOCTOR
No, sometimes a word can change the whole world! We’re not locked in, we’re sealed in.
ROBIN
Right. Good. Fine. Pedantic!
THE DOCTOR
Yes and pedant comes from the Italian for teacher, oh God I can’t stop, except!
(so happy)
I refuse! To apologise! For knowing things. D’you know why? Because knowing things is absolutely lovely!
ROBIN
Okay, 100 seconds, can you find us a way out?!
THE DOCTOR
Yes!
And the Doctor gets back to the keyboard.
ROBIN
But there’s one more question.
THE DOCTOR
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
ROBIN
No.
THE DOCTOR
Is it the Governess, Anne Hegarty?
ROBIN
This is so annoying.
THE DOCTOR
Who shot Phil Mitchell? I literally cannot stop.
ROBIN
All I want to know is: how did that blue box appear out of nowhere?
THE DOCTOR
Ah. That was me. Arriving.
ROBIN
What d’you mean, arriving?
THE DOCTOR
That box...
Stops. Looks at Robin.
THE DOCTOR (CONT’D)
It’s a time machine. It travels in time and space. Because I’m not from Earth. I’m a Time Lord. I came from another universe but the Time Lords adopted me and that’s my heritage now; the very last Time Lord in existence.
And it’s so honest, Robin believes every word, in awe.
ROBIN
Travelling where?
THE DOCTOR
Everywhere.
ROBIN
What for?
THE DOCTOR
To see it. To experience it. Every single thing that happens.
ROBIN
But. You can’t see everything.
THE DOCTOR
I know. And that kills me. Right now, 505 miles south west of the North Pole, there is a mountain of ice falling from a glacier into the freezing blue sea and it is so beautiful, and I’m missing it. And that hurts. It actually hurts.
ROBIN
But you said it was a time machine. So you can go back in time. And see it.
THE DOCTOR
Exactly.
(presses a button)
The WALLS FALL AWAY. And there’s the BLUE BOX.
THE DOCTOR (CONT’D)
So the real question is. Robin. From Earth. With a mother and brother waiting at home. D’you want to come with me?
ROBIN
What, to travel in time?
THE DOCTOR
Yep.
ROBIN
In that box?
THE DOCTOR
Together.
ROBIN
...yes, but there’s still... oh God help me, I’m so sorry, but there’s still more one more question.
THE DOCTOR
To be or not to be?
ROBIN
No!
THE DOCTOR
Aren’t you a little short for a
stormtrooper?
ROBIN
Oh God.
THE DOCTOR
Have the lambs stopped screaming, Clarice, I literally cannot.
ROBIN
The question is! Doctor who?
THE DOCTOR
(delighted)
D’you want to find out?
ROBIN
Yeah. Come on. Let’s go!
THE DOCTOR
Good good good, or why don’t we just stop?
And in the blink of an eye, the Doctor is as cold and ancient as that far-off glacier.
THE DOCTOR (CONT’D)
Because your name’s not Robin, is it?
ROBIN
I don’t know what you mean.
THE DOCTOR
You know exactly what I mean. You know the mother and the brother will sit there for a very long time. Until the police arrive. Because Robin is behind that wall. Cold and dead with a broken neck. Sixteen years old with a broken neck and a life that just stopped, thanks to you. The Spikemaster.
ROBIN
(grins, delighted)
How did you know?
THE DOCTOR
Your eyelashes are growing 0.5 millimetres per second faster than the human eyelash.
ROBIN
Clever.
THE DOCTOR
That’s me.
ROBIN
Bit too late. Time Lord. The TARDIS is mine, and all of Time and Space -
THE DOCTOR
(furious)
- but I think someone who creates a room with 100 seconds of air has created a trap for themselves, like this!
The Doctor whirrs the SONIC SCREWDRIVER, and the walls SEAL UP again, Robin gone, trapped inside. Just a muffled howl.
The Doctor goes up to the wall. Quiet.
THE DOCTOR (CONT’D)
And now, I should be kind, and show mercy, and let you go.
(pause)
‘bye.
The Doctor turns and goes.
The COMPANION steps out of the TARDIS! All bright! The Doctor completely normal again.
COMPANION
Sorry, I turned around and you were gone, you okay?
THE DOCTOR
Yeah. Fine. Yep.
COMPANION
What did I miss?
THE DOCTOR
Oh. Just... Daft things really, love. Silly. Boosh! Gone!
(big smile)
But what about you? Where do you want to go next?
COMPANION
I don’t know. How about Mars?
THE DOCTOR
No. We can have more fun than that. Tell you what. Let’s go to Cardiff!
Happy, delighted, they both head into the TARDIS, off to
adventures new.
END
Ncuti Gatwa returns as the Doctor in May 2024.